Storytelling: What’s the Story?

May 26, 2016A DGA Director Development Initiative Event

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On May 26, nearly 100 members gathered in the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater 2 for Storytelling: What’s the Story?, the second offering of the DGA Director Development Initiative’s new curriculum-based speaker series. The series is designed to provide current information on the Director’s craft in order to further the Guild’s mission to increase the diversity of the industry.

In his welcome to the assembled, DGA President Paris Barclay expressed his passion for the Initiative and thanked the Diversity Task Force led by co-chairs Bethany Rooney and Todd Holland and the co-chairs of all the DGA Diversity Committees for their efforts in developing the program.

“Seeing it all come to fruition after all of your hard work fills me with tremendous pride. Thank you for all of your contributions,” said Barclay. “So far, we’ve had fantastic feedback from our members about this program, because it is doing exactly what we hoped for and intended in the design phase: it’s serving as a powerful resource and tool in your career development and networking arsenal. As it progresses, we’re getting more and more interest from inside and outside of our guild from folks who are asking – how can I help? The result is the incredible panel you’ll be seeing tonight.”

Diversity Task Force co-chair Todd Holland then welcomed to the stage the evening’s panelists: Director/Producer Roxann Dawson (Bates Motel), Director/Executive Producer Anthony Hemingway (American Crime Story), Director Bethany Rooney (Criminal Minds), Director Nicole Rubio (Grey’s Anatomy), Writer/Executive Producer Kenya Barris (Black-ish), and Writer/Executive Producer Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead). The panel engaged in an enlightening conversation that explored the subject of storytelling and how it informs the Director’s process. Moderated by Director/Executive Producer Alan Poul (The Newsroom), the conversation also covered topics such as: what directors can do to prepare for an opportunity, the collaboration between writers and directors, and the importance of remaining consistent with the tone of a series. The panelists also took questions from the audience.

You can watch video highlights in the gallery below. DGA members, CLICK HERE to watch the full discussions from each of the Director Development Initiative Speaker Series events.

About the Panelists:

Alan Poul (moderator)
A DGA member since 1986, Alan Poul made his directorial debut with an episodeof the acclaimed series Six Feet Under and earned both DGA and Emmy Award nominations for his episode “Nobody Sleeps.” He also served as Executive Producer and Director on Golden Globe-nominated series, The Newsroom. His other credits include multiple episodes of Rome, Big Love, the pilots for Perception and GCB, three miniseries based on Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City books (Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City), and the feature The Back-up Plan.

Kenya Barris
Barris began as a writer’s assistant on Sister, Sister, before entering the Paramount Comedy Writer’s Workshop and scripting an episode of the series. His credits include episodes of Listen Up, Like Family, The Game, Girlfriends, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, and the recent feature Barbershop: The Next Cut. He is currently Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner on Black-ish.

Roxann Dawson
Previously known as an actor, Dawson launched her directing career with an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Her credits includethe pilot and first two episodes of Mercy Street as well as episodes of House of Cards, The Good Wife¸ Lost, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Scandal. She joined the DGA in 1999.

Anthony Hemingway
A DGA member since 1995, Hemingway made his directorial debut with an episode of the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire. His directing credits include feature Red Tails, the pilots for Power and The Infamous and episodes of Empire, Glee, The Newsroom, True Blood, Orange is the New Black, American Horror Story, Battlestar Galactica, Once Upon A Time, The People v O.J. Simpson, and Underground.

Glen Mazzara
The creator, executive producer and showrunner of the series Damien, previously Mazzara served as executive producer and showrunner for seasons two and three of The Walking Dead, His other writing credits include episodes of The Shield, Nash Bridges, Life, Hawthorne, Crash, and the feature The Overlook Hotel. Mazzara also co-chairs the Writers Guild of America’s Diversity Advisory Group and works to improve television employment opportunities for writers of diverse backgrounds.

Bethany Rooney
In a career spanning over thirty years, Rooney has helmed over two hundred episodes of primetime television including episodes of Desperate Housewives, Ally McBeal, Brothers & Sisters, NCIS and Criminal Minds. A DGA member since 1985, she also serves as the Co-chair of the DGA’s Diversity Task Force as well as the Women’s Steering Committee.

Nicole Rubio
Rubio worked in the entertainment industry for over two decades as an actress and script supervisor before making her directorial debut with an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. A DGA member since 2013, her directing credits include episodes of How to Get Away with Murder, Murder in the First, The Night Shift, and Madam Secretary.